Deeplinks Blog posts about Locational Privacy

The Peruvian National Anthem proudly proclaims: “We are free! May we always be so!” Yet the Peruvian Congress is considering a sweeping new computer crime bill that threatens the privacy and online free expression of law-abiding Peruvians. Peruvians should stand against this ill-conceived bill that will place limits on what they are allowed to do with their own computers. Peruvians should take a cue from Canadians, who mobilized resistance against its online surveillance bill earlier this year.

SB 1434 protects the privacy of Californians by requiring law enforcement to get a search warrant before obtaining location information from any electronic device. The bill is an attempt to codify the Supreme Court's decision in United States v. Jones, which ruled that the warrantless installation of a GPS device on a car was an unlawful "search" under the Fourth Amendment.

We took a stand for Twitter users Wednesday, and in an amicus brief (PDF) urged a New York City judge to reconsider his decision authorizing a broad subpoena to Twitter that seriously threatens the First Amendment and privacy rights of everyone on the Internet.